YARDLEY, PA – Ziamatic Corp. has been awarded the Pennsylvania Governor’s Award for Safety Excellence, an outstanding achievement in their ongoing commitment to workplace safety. The fire and safety equipment manufacturer recently entered their second year of SHARP status, and was the first company from Bucks County to do so.

The Pennsylvania Department of Labor, in conjunction with WorkSafe PA, describes the Governor’s Award for Safety Excellence as one that recognizes successful employer-employee joint safety programs based on workplace injuries/illnesses vs. industry standards, as well as innovation and strategic development of safety policy and approaches. It is a highly competitive award, given to only a handful of Pennsylvania companies each year.

“As a manufacturer of emergency services equipment for over 50 years, we felt it was important to share in the safety ideals of our customers,” said President Michael P. Ziaylek. “Here at Zico it goes above and beyond simply producing a quality product. We want firefighters to know that we have their best interests in mind, and that starts at home, making sure our own employees know their health is one of our top priorities.”

“Focusing on safety in the workplace just makes too much sense,” said Darren Kelly, Warehouse/Production Manager. “When you can show your employees that you care about their personal safety they know that Ziamatic is a great place to work, and in turn, give you their best efforts and work together to keep themselves and their coworkers safe.”

To reach the high standards required for the award, and prove its long-term commitment to safety, Ziamatic Corp. has spent the last three years working closely with inspectors to identify potential hazards, improve workplace conditions, and ultimately reduce injury and illness rates. During this time an in-house safety committee was formed amongst the employees to oversee a newly implemented, formal safety program. Through this program small improvements were made to the way Ziamatic did business. These improvements ranged from clearing walkways and adding lighting to scheduling regular inspections and training opportunities including the creation of personal protective equipment and ladder inspection/safety programs. In addition, over 50% of the Zico employees are certified in First Aid/CPR/AED. These small changes produced big results, not only for the company’s bottom line, but for each individual employee.

“The Zico Safety Committee has been working hard the past few years to come up with new ideas for training and educating our workforce,” said Kelly. “I felt it was worth our time to see where we stood amongst Pennsylvania companies in advancing our safety program. I wanted the committee members to understand that what we’re accomplishing together here is no small feat.”

“Our success is largely due to the hard work of our safety committee,” added Ziaylek. “Everyday their tireless efforts continue to make Ziamatic a safer and cleaner place to work. I am extremely proud of everyone’s efforts and advise other small businesses to begin taking a more proactive approach to workplace safety. I highly recommend it.”

“I’m pretty proud of everyone for stepping up,” Kelly concluded. “And not only embracing our new advanced safety system, but contributing to its success by donning PPE, following safety procedures and filling out Near-Miss reports and Job Safety Analysis when needed. It’s been a great group effort and I’m excited to continue growing the program from here.”

Ziamatic Corp. has held a 0 (zero) DART rate for the past four years.

About Ziamatic Corp.

Ziamatic Corp. (ZICO) was founded in 1958 with the intention of providing the men and women of the fire services industry with products that make their profession safer and easier. Over 50 years later Zico remains a leader in SCBA bracket and ladder rack technology. For more information, call 800/711-FIRE or visit www.ziamatic.com.